E-News - March 2013

March 2013

CEECD / SKC-ECD - WHAT'S NEW?

NEW IN THE ENCYCLOPEDIAA Cluster on Mental Health & A New Topic on Anxiety and Depression

"Mental health" is our first cluster of topics and papers from the Encyclopedia. All these documents are connected in one way or another to the mental health of mothers and children. The new topic Anxiety and depression completes this cluster.

There is wide consensus that complex disorders such as mental illnesses are based on the interaction of numerous genes and environmental factors. In the last decade, diagnostic tools have been refined to identify mental disorders in very young children. A better understanding of challenging behaviours in early childhood (e.g., social withdrawal, aggression, hyperactivity) should also be taken into consideration. Given mounting evidence of the importance of environment during the prenatal period and the child’s early years, it becomes imperative to begin interventions as early as possible.

Mental health problems experienced in adulthood often begin in childhood and adolescence. One of the major types of mental health issues found in childhood is internalizing problems. Internalizing problems include depression and anxiety. Although the controversy about diagnosing depression in young children is ongoing, symptoms can be experienced as early as 3 years of age. Anxiety disorders can also cause significant distress and impairment in young children and merit special consideration.

We are grateful to The Lawson Foundation (Anxiety and depression), to the Margaret & Wallace McCain Family Foundation (Anxiety and depression & Mental health) and to the Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research (Mental health) for their financial contributions.